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I'm Almost 50. I've been Heavy since 2003. Obese since 2003. The years between 2003 and 2013 were Mixed with periods of overweight, weight loss with Atkins diet, then weight gain to morbidly obese, at 253 pounds. Then, weight loss again to achieve overweight status with b-12 shots and appetite suppressants to now---once again--- obese. Battle-battle-battle Obesity is in my family as well as diabetes & heart disease. I lost my father this past April to heart disease. I have high blood pressure & I am borderline diabetic, now I have new severe back pain and ailments coming out of seemingly nowhere. But, the "nowhere" is bad health and it finally got my attention. Researched options including lap-bands in 2012 Sleeved 2/25/2013 The rest of the story...will be Great Success (and I will keep you posted) through the support of my family, consideration of my clients and support from forums like Vertical Sleeve Talk. We were born into a community because we all need each other. I LOVE what I do. I am a Licensed TX Broker & Realtor and I am the happiest girl in the world. I am ready to give more to my community and really live life to the fullest. I am very grateful for this opportunity and do not intend to squander it My life goals: To Breathe life where ever I go. To Give the gift of encouragement. To live with incredible passion so that "Life itself" continues to be THE most amazing lover I've ever had ! (Copyright)

Okay this one really goes out to those veteran sleevers. So, I am 13 months out now. I have lost pretty much all I could safely lose (a lot of people think ive gotten too thin) I'm getting to the point of becoming UNDER weight (which is hilarious frankly...ive never been thin in my life...literally). That's really the problem. I have started training for this 1/2 marathon and the running is making me lose weight to a point that is making me nervous. I am already wearing a SMALL right now...i just dont know what to do. No one really seems to understand--people say stupid stuff like "just eat more"....as though I could even if I wanted to?? I mean dont get me wrong I eat 3 or 4 meals a day...and I do eat very healthy meals...but i just dont know how to replace those calories I burned of running safely. My mother says shit like "go eat a grilled cheese"...which makes me crazy! My trainer says go drink weight gain powder...which goes against all logic in my book. My surgeon said (btw Im a 6'0 man) I dont want you to get into the 160s...if you do call the office. well that was 3 weeks ago...i weighed 173 then...NOW in just 3 weeks i lost 10 lbs. I'm losing my mind here. and frankly, am getting a little scared...i dont know how to make it stop. But, at the same time I WANT to do this race...for me...because ive never been able to run more than a few feet in my life without being out of breath. What do yall do?? please help me.

UPDATE - I changed my calories. Today is Monday, Saturday and Sunday I ate almost 1200 calories. It was exhausting, I never seemed to stop eating and when you have no hunger or desire to eat, it can get obnoxious pretty quick. However. I weighed myself this morning and ... I'm down a pound and a quarter. This is seriously stunning news. I went 5 weeks with absolutely zero movement on the scale - zero, unless you count constipation weight gain and actual gain when I thought going super low cal (600) was the way to go. I have been stuck at 235 for a month and after 48 hours on higher calorie I lose over a pound? Awesome! Now, I don't know what this means, it could just be reactionary weight loss. It has only been 2 days, I will continue the 1200 for 2 more days and keep exercising and monitor. Now I wonder if I should do a reverse shock - stay at 1200 five days a week, then drop down to 800 two days a week. We'll see. The thing is, when I first went from 600 to 800 calories I had initial success that first week, and then no more. If that happens again, I can't just keep increasing my calories.

I'm not hearing anything that is making me change my mind. R.E. Preeclampsia.. had it with my first pregnancy, when I became pregnant when I was 169lbs. I did make it full term, but induced when I started dropping protein in my urine. Baby and Mom were fine. My next 3 pregnancies all went fine with no complications, with starting weights at 180lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs. I gained 40lbs with each one, except #2 where I gained 65! Do you see a trend? After each pregnancy, I did drop the pregnancy weight gain each time, but some of that weight always made its way back after weaning, in time for the next pregnancy. I didn't develop gestational diabetes, but 10 years after the last pregnancy, I became prediabetic. What the surgery does is clean up old metabolic issues and gives you a clean slate. (At least, that's the hope.. works for some, but it's not guaranteed). What you do with that clean slate is up to you. After you get surgery, you really have to be on a "diet" the rest of your life. You can always gain weight back, the same as anyone. But, the surgery is a one-time opportunity.. and I'm SOOOOO glad my family was complete before considering going under the knife, so my clean slate can remain that way. Maybe you can talk with your doc about how risky they believe a pregnancy will be (before or after surgery).. a lone voice on the internet shouldn't necessarily sway you one way or the other, but I urge you to get as much information from your own network as possible. Many people here get the surgery so they CAN get pregnant. Without it, they are infertile. For those people, they only have one choice if they want to be parents, and I wholeheartedly support them. For you, it sounds like you have options. And if slow weight loss is discouraging enough to stop your diet attempts... it's a bit concerning to me, since postop it is nothing but dieting. What I would love to see you do, is try one of the diets again (and I can give you one if you like), work on your mind game and nutritional status.. drop a few pounds, and when you're ready, get pregnant, have your baby, and after a couple years get the surgery. Sure, you'll be a few years older, but you'll use those years to learn more about the surgery and practice healthful eating, so when you do get the operation, you'll be completely ready.

I hope those thoughts are normal, because I thought them ALL THE TIME pre-surgery. Post surgery I have not regrets. I look back at the things I was worried about and I realize that after only 11 weeks any changes to my past lifestyle are so worth it and I really do not miss my old ways. I do miss a beer in a frosty mug once in a while, but not enough to trade it for already undoing over ten years of weight gain! I still enjoy gatherings with friends and family even if they are centered around food. I have my small portion and enjoy the company. Like OTRSleever said, my view of food has shifted to one of noursishment and is no longer a great source of pleasure or comfort. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy flavors and an occasional treat, but food no longer rules me. It is amazingly liberating.

I am a recovering bulimic. I fully admitted it to my doctor who will be doing my band surgery and he still ok'd me. In fact, quitting purging but not able to quit binging led to massive weight gain. I now have much more control over that demon. I don't binge like I used to but I still tend to overeat. LOTS AND LOTS of obese women are bulimic. It's not only skinny girls. For me, my history of bulimia will make the band that much harder. It's going to test the bounds of this demon that lives inside of me. But the greatest part I'm looking forward to is something I read on a blog page for a person who had been banded....they said that having the band made them for the first time that they were in control of food, not the other way around. The only proven method for overcoming an eating disorder is therapy. I'm here to testify that therapy works but it takes a lot of effort from the bulimic to make it happen. There are a LOT of psychological issues behind an eating disorder. And ED is NOT only about food....it's about SO MUCH more. Food is just a symptom. So as you said in the very first post....maybe this is for a reason. Maybe it's time to face up to some issues before getting banded. Big hugs to you. You are welcome to PM me if you have any more questions.

Well let me tell you this...I have my 6 out of 6 appointment coming and I want to tell anyone with Kaiser what to look out for...it's what I wanted to know... 1. you can possibly get more monthly visits added on but cannot do anything to reduce the time in the program. 2. you should start a diet to follow immediately and let that be what you track in your food journal...unlike me, who thought they wanted to just see what we were currently eating.. I was unaware that the diet begins at that first class you attend. 3. If it applies, don't stop smoking too soon...I gained about 6lbs immediately and never found out that losing any weight gained is you final goal in the program. 4. DO NOT GAIN WEIGHT!!! I never knew there would be any weight requirement, only the classes and appointments but at my 5th appointment, I found that I must get back to my lowest weight in the program before we can move on to submitting paperwork. Which only gives me 4 weeks but if you gained more than my 6, this could be a shocker! 6. Make sure you schedule all your appointments immediately after your visits because those appointments go fast and some time they may not even have a schedule up for the following month until the 2nd week of the current month. My 6/6 appointment is 1/31/14 and we will be submitting paperwork...feel free to hit me up and ask me any questions about the process... Good Luck neighbors!!

Oh, WOW. She is absolutely beautiful! And you are too, for just giving birth. You don't even want to see what mine look like. I came out looking dazed and confused with frizzy hair and NO eyebrows. You're weight gain is an inspiration to people like me who plan to have more children. You really didn't gain much. Congratulations on your little angel:).

Jessb418- I'm the same way! I'm happy when the scale goes down and really grumpy when it doesn't move! I weight self everyday. And the weight will set the mood. This isn't healthy. ???? We have to remember this experience is a journey. I had such fears initially that I would be the failure who didn't lose weight and gained more! I read about the average weight loss, and worried the average wouldn't get me to my goal. I'm in my third month post op, and while I still have irrational fears, I'm coming to terms with this process. My sister is one year post, met her goal weight and struggles with maintaining. In other words, this our lives now. Thin people also watch their weight. I've been paying attention to my "normal to thin friends' eating habits. They are pretty disciplined with an occasional treat. They workout, and occasionally get upset with a weight gain. We got this! We're ok! And we will reach our goals! Hang in there. The scale is just a tool to help you gage your eating.

The IUD is amazing, and yeah there are people that have had complications from it. But you will be having a lot more complications if you get pregnant within a year of having the sleeve. Birth control pills cause weight gain and after surgery pills are the easiest to get down. I would suggest the IUD, the procedure takes like 15 min and you just need to rest the rest of the day after getting it placed. If you decided you want kids all you do is get it taken out and bam! You can start baby making. Lol Sent from my SM-G935T using the BariatricPal App

I'm 63 and my dr. has suggested lap banding because it will help my heart. I have had 5-way-bypass surgery and quit smoking. When I quit smoking is when I gained all the weight. It's kind of a vicious circle, because I've once more put myself in danger with my heart with the weight gain. Someone told me that over 55 bandsters don't do well. Does anyone have an opinion on this and is there anyone out there that is banded and older? I'd love to hear their opinions and whether the surgery was more difficult for them. Perhaps I'll find there are no older bandsters and that should answer my question about whether to do it or not. Any feedband is appreciated.

You will be able to eat more and more as you progress through the first few months post-op. This isn't unusual and it's nothing to panic about. My nut says I can eat a cup of food at a time now that I'm 5 months out, and generally, she's right. I couldn't eat a cup of dense Protein like chicken, but I can eat a cup of Soup or yogurt, which pretty much go right through. With regard to stretching - personally (and based on what I've read/seen) I don't think it's stretching as much as it is eating around the sleeve. Imagine my surprise when I decided to have "a few" potato chips. I counted out a serving, tracked it, and was not even a little affected by the intake. I could have eaten the whole bag! You've heard of slider foods - well, believe me, they are a thing. Because sliders don't close the pyloric valve they slide right through and your capacity is much higher. Obviously this increases calorie intake and voila - weight gain ensues. One rule I don't break is drinking when I eat. This will also cause you to eat more than you should because it pushes food through the sleeve allowing you to accomodate more volume. I'm not perfect - I eat small pieces of chocolate here and there, I have popcorn and chips once in a great while, sometimes I'll have a small piece of bread with butter. 95% of the time, though, I follow my plan and I measure and track everything in My Fitness Pal (even the popcorn and chocolate!) That, to me, is the key - being aware of everything that I'm eating. Presurgery I ate with abandon, and that's never going to be the case again.

In my experience, most NUTS don't know what they are talking about. The stretchy part, or fundus, is cut out during the surgery, therefore making stretching VERY difficult. A few carbonation bubbles do not have enough force to stretch anything. We do not have "regular" stomachs anymore. Drinking non diet soda with all the empty calories was the cause of weight gain, not stretching. There are studies proving this, but believe what you want. For the record, I've drank carbonation for a couple of years in the form of selzer waters, and my capacity is exactly the same as it was from the year before. So your NUTS "theory" pretty much is disproven.

Did you have IV fluids in the hospital? This will definitely cause weight gain but it will come off.

OMG, that woman was totally out of line. You should report her you know what as soon as you can. I had been made to feel like a failure many years ago after a small weight gain--it totaly derailed my progress. Now, looking back, older and wiser--i wish I never gave that power away. That PA is a liability to that doctor's practice and he should know about it. And i hope you are finding a way to recover from the experience. We are all unique and on unique journeys. My progress the second time around is much slower than the first--but it is happening, slowly but surely. Stay focused on how much better you feel, and how much better you will feel in the future, however long it takes to get there. Best of luck to you.

//This is my worst nightmare, remember my weight gain is inevitable post?// I don't have my band yet so can't comment about that but I was wondering if you have been tested for Hyliobacter Pylori (H.Pylori)?? Sometimes that can cause all kinds of problems...and you could have had this lovely little bacteria that lives in your duodenum since you were a kid. A simple blood test is all you need and if you do have it then they give you two antbiotics and prylosec. All gone and symptoms such as heatburn...gone, too. It's worth checking out. I know because my surgeon always does this test for his Lapband patienst...and sure enough I had it, which explained my heartburn. I haven't had any since i finished the medications.

@@Katieisin Good luck post op, and I hope all goes well for you. I did not have a band, just the sleeve in March 2016. Initially I had bad reflux problems, and I swapped from rabeprazole to Nexium 40mg, and this worked wonders for me. Now, 5 1/2 months later, I am slowly weaning myself of Nexium, and so far so good. Nexium is long lasting, so I am now taking it every 2nd day, instead of every day. I have lost 28 kg so far, and even though I am not exercising much lately, I still keep losing. I also see my bariatric psychologist for support, and read up a lot on this forum. I have an auto-immune thyroid disease, and this helped my massive, rapid weight-gain in the past 2 years. At 54, I hope you also had your female hormones checked, as an imbalance there can also help weight-gain. You are early post op, and it is great that you are following your post op plan. For me, the only time I had few stalls or small weight gain was when I deviated from my food plan, and had slider foods such as ice-cream or frozen yoghurt in larger quantities. This aggravated my sugar craving, so I stopped eating those foods and substituted fruit instead. I also weaned myself off Equal, and have been using Stevia instead. Much better as Stevia does not play havoc with blood sugar levels. As far as I know, the sleeve has worked for many of us, providing we stick to the food plan and portion sizes. My appetite has diminished significantly at the moment, even though I can now eat slightly larger portions, but with Protein first and eating good food, I am still losing weight. Next step, after I reach my goal weight-gain, will be maintenance. I will see my dietician then, again. So, give it time and good luck! Say hello to Melbourne from me I used to live in Melbourne and in Sydney before Queensland.

The big losers do not necessarily have more willpower or desire. The important difference between the big losers and the re-gainers may be how easy they find the journey to be. Surprisingly, you can control a large part of how easy or hard it is to lose weight. The weight loss journey is not just about changing your digestive system through surgery. It is also about changing your entire lifestyle to facilitate weight loss. Weight Loss Surgery is a Weight Loss Tool, Not a Cure Weight loss surgery is a tool. It can make you less hungry by reducing the size of your stomach by inserting a band around your stomach (Lap-band), removing the majority of your stomach pouch (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) or folding or stapling away the majority of your stomach pouch (gastric bypass, duodenal switch, and sleeve plication). The vertical sleeve gastrectomy reduces hunger by reducing the amount of ghrelin, a hunger hormone, that your stomach produces. The gastric bypass and duodenal switch reduce nutrient absorption. All of these surgeries can help you eat less and lose weight, but none of these surgeries are fail-proof. You can “cheat” by eating high-calorie foods, drinking high-calorie beverages, drinking beverages while you eat solid foods, and eating without measuring your portions. Successful weight loss requires good choices on your part, and making good choices is easier if you focus on your entire lifestyle, not just the part of your digestive system that was changed with surgery. The Influence of Your Surroundings on Your Weight Think about this scenario. You leave home without breakfast and order a muffin and ice coffee at the drive-through on your way to work. You grab a doughnut at your morning meeting, and go out for lunch with your friends. You order the lunch special with a salad, breadstick, fettuccine alfredo and cheesecake. You nibble on some chocolates from your secretary’s desk as you make your way to the vending machine for a soda in the afternoon. You pick up a pizza on your way home because you know that there is nothing else for dinner. Now compare it to this second scenario. You wake up early to meet your friend for a walk before you get home for a breakfast of scrambled egg whites and spinach. You drive to work and have yogurt and some fruit at your morning meeting. Lunch with your coworkers consists of a green salad with canned tuna, and you have a hard-boiled egg for your afternoon snack. You are able to get dinner on the table quickly when you get home because you only need to defrost the meals that you prepared earlier in the week. Which scenario do you think you can help you lose weight? The second one, of course. So why not make it a reality? Do Your Surroundings Encourage Weight Loss or Weight Gain? You have battled your weight for years, if not for your entire life before weight loss surgery. In all likelihood, your environment was set up for you to eat. Take a good, hard look at your environment. Is it more like the first scenario or the second one described above? You have the ability to make it more like the second one. Notice the following items from the two scenarios. Exercise was automatic in the second one because you planned to meet a friend – so you couldn’t back out. Preparing your dinners ahead of time meant that you could eat quickly without going to a fast food restaurant. Packing your own snacks meant that you did not have to eat a doughnut in your morning meeting or chocolates in the afternoon. Make the “Right” Choice Automatic The fewer tough choices you have, the less likely you are to make poor decisions. Set up your environment so that the healthier actions are easier. To make healthy eating easier: Prepare plenty of meals ahead of time so that you always have a ready-to-eat, healthy option to prevent you from opting for take-out. Throw away the take-out menus that you used to store in the kitchen. The extra time it takes you to look up the phone numbers and menus online may be enough to let you come to your sense and realize that you don’t want fast food. Keep your kitchen stocked with all kinds of healthy foods, so that no matter your craving, you have a healthy answer. Do not keep unhealthy foods at home. If they are not there, you cannot eat them. Make sure that the healthy option is the default option. For example, measure your cheese and cut and wash fruits and vegetables ahead of time so that it is easier to snack on them than on cookies. Also consider these ideas: Meet your friends for walks or shopping trips instead of for meals at restaurants. Park your car a few blocks away from work so that you have no choice but to walk those few blocks again at the end of the day as you leave work. Do not drive past drive-thrus if they are too tempting. Also, do not keep money in the car, and consider removing your car’s cup holders so that eating in the car is no longer an option. All weight loss surgery patients have their own struggles. Far from being wimpy, removing these obstacles rather than fighting them is the best way to overcome them. The weight loss journey path will always have speed bumps and potholes, but it will be a lot smoother if you set up your lifestyle to promote better choices all day.

Well Crap.. yes..I hadn't realized that its been well over a year since my last visit here.. and it seems that I should have been visiting a whole lot more often.. because not only did I fall off the wagon - but I rolled into a raveen that lead to a cliff - and here I am hanging by a mere branch.. with all 340lbs of me.. I can blame no one except myself for the weight gain.. I've gained a total of 43.3 lbs.. I've been completely out of control - and of course recently (within the last 2-3 weeks I've been trying to get back to basics.. I've forgotton how to eat, how to control my poritons, I've forgotten good food choices, and definitely "forgot" the importance of daily exercise/activity - so here I am - trying my best to un-do all that I've done within the last year or so.. Take care my friends.. Just me - Bea

Hello everyone, My nickname is Izzy and I am happy to have found support as my WLS journey begins. I am 36 years old and have dealt with weight gain since i reached puberty. I have PCOS and hypothyroidism, metabolic syndrome, asthma and pre-diabetis. And with all these disorders I never thought I would have WLS. I was naive and thought it was an easy way out. Boy was I wrong! this takes a lot of courage, letting go, allowing support from others and I am sure I will find out what else it requires. Well after battle-ling with severe lower back pain,for 1 1/2 years, that made it hard to enjoy my life as before and gaining 30lbs that took me 4 years to loose, i finally listened to my doctors and decided to do this surgery. Its was a scary and hard road just to get all the tests. Now 6 days post surgery I am so happy and looking forward to a new life. I look forward to learning from others here. -Izzy

I agree. I feel the same. I felt sad for him. I probably should have mentioned that he is 17. He was "prepped" for this surgery for one year. I had a talk with him and he said he's still losing. But I told him that from what I hear, it's not gonna stay that way if he continues like that. Anyway, I can only hope that as he grows, he realizes that he needs to change behaviors... Oh, he has his whole life in front of him, I hope for his sake that he can turn it around. It is not until 2 plus years out I would say that bad habits really start to rear their ugly head in weight gain. I didn't even realize they would do the surgery so young.

Concerning long term weight management, daily weighing does help. This is from the study, "Consistent self-monitoring of weight: a key component of successful weight loss maintenance" found on US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health website. Consistent self-weighing may help individuals maintain their successful weight loss by allowing them to catch weight gains before they escalate and make behavior changes to prevent additional weight gain. While change in self-weighing frequency is a marker for changes in other parameters of weight control, decreasing self-weighing frequency is also independently associated with greater weight gain.

Happy Halloween from BariatricPal!#subject#> body,div,dl,dt,dd,ul,ol,li,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,pre,form,fieldset,input,textarea,p,blockquote,th,td { margin:0; padding:0; } table { border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0; } fieldset,img { border:0; } address,caption,cite,code,dfn,th,var { font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; } caption,th { text-align:left; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { font-size:100%; font-weight:normal; } q:before,q:after { content:''; } abbr,acronym { border:0; } address{ display: inline; } html, body { background-color: #d8dde8; color: #5a5a5a; } body { font: normal 13px helvetica, arial, sans-serif; position: relative; } h3, strong { font-weight: bold; } em { font-style: italic; } img, .input_check, .input_radio { vertical-align: middle; } legend { display: none; } table { width: 100%; } td { padding: 3px; } a { color: #225985; text-decoration: none; } a:hover { color: #328586; } div.outer { margin: 0 auto; padding: 14px; } table.wrap { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; } td.logo { background-color: #0f3854; padding: 8px; } td.content { background-color: #fff; font-size: 14px !important; color: black !important; line-height: 150% !important; padding: 8px; } ul { margin-left: 25px; } Hey BariatricPal Members! Happy Halloween! It’s a fun time and the beginning of the holiday season. We’re celebrating a lot here at BariatricPal, and we’re super excited to share it with you! Here’s what’s in this newsletter. The BariatricPal Store: Grand Opening! Your Ready for the Holidays? Thanks for your support and for making it possible for BariatricPal continue to grow. There’s no way we could do it without you. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Grand Opening of The BariatricPal Store! We are so excited to announce the grand opening of The BariatricPal Store! We know, The BariatricPal Store doesn’t fit into a Halloween newsletter because it’s anything but spooky, but we just can’t stop talking about it! That’s why we’re offering 10% off all orders with coupon code SPOOKY10 just for you! Your Source for Bariatric Protein, Meals, Snacks, and supplements Weight loss surgery changes everything, especially your diet. You need to get enough protein without too many calories; eat a nutritious diet while keeping portions in check; and get your Vitamins and minerals without fail. It can be overwhelming and time-consuming…unless you have help. The BariatricPal Store can give you the help you need. We have the protein supplements, meals, snacks, and vitamins to help you lose weight and get healthy. Protein bars, shakes, and powders. Low-calorie, high-protein snacks, Entrees and breakfasts. Bariatric vitamins and Fiber supplements. Make Weight Loss Shopping Easy We know you need the top products, and they need to be healthy, nutritionist-approved, and convenient. We have all that! We also have: Tons of BariatricPal brand products. Product packages so you can pick up a bundle at once for a discounted price. meal plans for the pre-op and post-op diets, plus maintenance and back-on-track diets, so you can easily pick up the foods you need to stay on track. Sampler packs of different items so you can try different varieties to see which you like best. Other Reasons to Shop The BariatricPal Store We truly believe we’re number one. Here are just a few more reasons why. Subscribe and Save options on every product so you can get automatic re-delivery, 5% discounts, and free shipping on each order. Lowest prices – guaranteed. Free shipping on orders over $69. Save money with sales and discounts plus our Refer-A-Friend program. For help, you can look at the FAQs, give us a call at 855 WLS-BPAL (855 957-725), or use our live chat with a customer service specialist during business hours. Visit store.bariatricpal.com often to see current specials, and check out our blog for updates on promotions and new products. We can’t wait to take this next step in helping you reach your weight loss and health goals! Your Healthy Halloween Plan Halloween is about costumes, haunted houses, and scares. Unfortunately, some of the “scares” are the ones that show up on the scale if you eat too many Halloween treats, or the “scares” that come from feeling sick from too much sugar. You don’t have to experience the bad scares this Halloween, though. The trick? Plan ahead! Here are a few things to think about as Halloween approaches. Trick-Or-Treating Almost everyone is affected by trick-or-treating. If you have kids, you’ll probably find one or several big bags of Halloween candy showing up at your home when they come back from trick-or-treating. Your best defense here is to have a healthy dinner before taking them out. Then, focus on anything other than candy – you might fix your children’s costumes, be the flashlight holder, or designate yourself as the neighborhood crossing guard to keep kids safe. If you don’t have children, you may be the one handing out candy to the neighborhood children, which probably means buying a bunch of candy to give out. If that’s the case, you’re best off choosing candy that you don’t like that much, so you’re less tempted to eat it. Again, have a healthy dinner, and focus on other things besides candy for the evening. You might work on answering the door in a scary way, or taking photos of the cute costumes you see to share with the kids’ parents tomorrow. The Aftermath No matter what happens on your weight loss surgery journey, there’s always tomorrow. After Halloween, “tomorrow” is November 1. Take inventory. See what’s in your home that shouldn’t be there. Get rid of the extra candy. If you must keep some candy in your house because of your kids, make sure it’s not tempting you. You can always ask them to hide it away in their rooms. You can also make a game out of it: have them label each piece so they and you will both know if you “steal” some. Go for a walk. There’s nothing like a walk to clear your head and get you ready to go back to healthy eating patterns. Halloween’s scary, but it shouldn’t be scary because of the weight gain. It should be scary because of the fun things you get to do. With a little planning, that’s exactly how your Halloween can be. Healthy Halloween Tips Did you know there are tons of fun things you can do to get into the Halloween spirit without touching a piece of candy? Here are a few ideas! Go for a Walk It’s true…walking is really quite a good answer to most questions. How to burn off a few extra calories before Halloween? Go for a walk. How to enjoy the Halloween decorations in your neighborhood? Go for a walk. How to let your kids show off their Halloween costumes to all the neighbors? Go for a walk. Get the point? Get moving! Volunteer That’s right. You may think that volunteering is just asking for trouble, since you may be faced with a lot of candy. In truth, it’s a chance to be surrounded by the Halloween spirit while being so busy you don’t have time to grab a treat. Volunteering at a local school, homeless shelter, or retirement home can be the perfect way to immerse yourself in Halloween. Help decorate for a party, serve treats, clean up afterwards, or help make costumes. You’ll be appreciated, and you’ll get to be a part of the holiday in a way that’s healthy for your body and soul. Make Healthy Treats It’s true…treats make Halloween so much better. But you can do better than chocolate, candy corn, and decorated Cookies and cupcakes. Here are a few ideas. Greek yogurt popsicles: Use a little sweetener and keep them white for ghosts, or add some pumpkin and cinnamon and shape them into pumpkin shapes. Then you can decorate them like jack-o-lanterns! Jack-o-lantern orange protein cups: hollow out oranges to leave the peel mostly intact. You can “carve” a face in the peel shell to make it look like a jack-o-lantern, and fill it with cottage cheese or fruit. Greek yogurt “eyes:” freeze circular spoonfuls of Greek yogurt with blueberries for eyes. A happy, safe, and healthy Halloween however you choose to Celebrate it. Don’t forget to come talk about yours on the boards at BariatricPal! See you there!

This is my take on the issue: IMO... I repeat... IMO... The formula to avoid is: Low Calorie Diet + Low Exercise/No Exercise/Low Heart Rate Exercise = No Long Term Success! / Flabby Skin Results / Excessive Loss of Lean Muscle Tissue... I recommend: REASONABLE Band Restriction + Moderate Calorie Deficit created by a combination of exercise and diet (rich in lean Proteins, moderate in complex carbs, light on simple carbs), low to moderate in fats (especially saturated/trans ) + Copious amounts of 60%-85% cardio workouts + light to moderate strength training = Gradual Persistant Progress with Long Term Success! If you're already dealing with a depressed metabolism due in part from eating so few calories - then increase your calorie intake slowly. A rapid swing in calories going up will almost certainly result in a weight gain. Add maybe 100 - 200 every third day. Protein shakes??? IMO these are for supplemental purposes long term. Once you're able to eat solid foods - you should be getting most of your protein from lean solid sources. Solid foods and liquid foods will have different impacts on your metabolism as well. When you can't get a meal in or you aren't getting enough protein, supplement with a shake. Your body can store fats, your body can store carbs, but it cannot store proteins. A highly excessive protein intake can be coverted to stored fat - but it is a costly conversion compared to the other macronutrients. I have found it's best for me to eat small amounts very frequently. I'm not even certain I'd call them all meals - but every few hours I'm eating a food source that is a reasonable mix of carbs/fats/protein. It helps keep blood sugars stable, energy stable, and metabolism cranking. Good Luck! Brad

I really am working on not eating sugars because sugar is what has contributed to my past weight gain and diabetes. Sugar is addictive and you can eat a lot of foods really easy that are sugary. those foods are sliders. I choose to avoid sugars as much as possible and eat a wholesome diet focusing around proteins and veggies. I eat or drink anything with caffeine in them now either. i don't miss it either. My plan is to eat healthy and balanced, like the Paleo diet. I even choose to eat foods that are organic without pesticides and antibiotics put in them. Healthy only for me.... I really love this. A side note, I am not perfect and will occassionally eat something that is not organic when eating at friends houses and restaurants. I love my new life style.....